Legion
Has Broken Faith with Veterans
By
Lubomyr Luciuk
I met many of them. Most
were soldiers or air crew; others were with the navy or merchant marines. Some
suffered wounds. All spoke, quietly, of those who did not come home.
They did not always get
along after the war, or maybe even during it, yet they got a lot done. As one
of them – Flight Lieutenant G R Bohdan Panchuk, OBE, wrote – they were the
“heroes of their day.” They set up a Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen’s
Association in
These warriors wanted to
perpetuate the fellowship they knew overseas. They were young then–idealistic,
able, and willing–and their simple gospel, as Panchuk recorded it in his diary,
was “Do something!”
These men knew that
inter-war Ukrainian Canadian society had been rent between competing religious
and political factions. They wanted none of that. These veterans hoped that the
comradely sentiment “we’re all in this together” could be replanted and
nurtured “back home.”
At first, they weren’t
sure whether it would be better to maintain what they had known, UCSA, or
instead join The Royal Canadian Legion. Many recalled encountering prejudice
when enlisting, how others mocked them for having “unpronounceable names.” But, having proven their loyalty and mettle
in battle, they insisted that never again would they accept being dealt with as
anything other than the equals of all other veterans, of all other Canadians.
So a majority opted for joining the Legion. They set up Branch #360, in
When these veterans
bought a building they were also prescient. A time would come, they knew, when
their ranks would thin and when what they would sow would have to be reaped. So
they laid plans for the future. The founders crafted a trust document
stipulating that what wealth remained after their passing be dedicated for
research, commemorative and educational projects within the Ukrainian Canadian
community. They trusted the Legion to honour this testament.
Most of Branch #360’s
founders are gone now. The members left were not prepared for the gaggle of
Legion bureaucrats who swooped down upon CLUB 360 – Canadian Legion Ukrainian
Branch – in June 2005, alleging violations of their charter, padlocking the
premises, perhaps hoping that doing so would secure for the Legion’s benefit a
building whose location alone makes it a multimillion-dollar asset. And so a
Ukrainian Canadian community centre that veterans bought, and improved, over
decades, has stood empty for more than a year. Branch #360’s members still
meet, sadly elsewhere. Meanwhile, the memory of all the good Legion work they
did fades away, even as they do.
Most other Canadian
veterans do not know what happened. Legion Magazine has not published a word
about Branch #360’s forced liquidation. Have other branches suffered a similar
fate? Would other veterans approve of how Branch #360 was treated if they knew
what happened? At least the Legion will not soon, if ever, be enriched, for
Branch #360’s case is now before the courts.
No matter what the outcome, this story will end with veterans suing the
Legion. I doubt that is what anyone fought for.
I have chaffed at the
boors who do not stop on Remembrance Day to hallow the fallen. At Vimy Ridge,
and elsewhere, I have paused to pray for those who sacrificed their futures for
ours. For as long as I can remember I have bought and worn a poppy. This year
you will find me, as always, standing in silence with all who respectfully mark
the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the Great War ended. But
if I am wearing a poppy it will only be if I find one that has fallen off
someone else’s lapel. I will not put a penny into the coffers of the Legion,
for it has broken faith with those who died.
Professor Lubomyr Luciuk
remains a member of Branch #360 and director of Research for the Ukrainian
Canadian Civil Liberties Association.